Apparatus for the manufacture of sheets of glass.



F. L. 0. WADSWORTH.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEETS 0F GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1905.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

A 8 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESS! F. L. 0. WADSWORTH.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEETS OF GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.16,1905

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

WITNESSES MW WW F. L. 0. WADSWORTH. APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE or sums 0F GLASS APPLICATION FILED AUG.16, 1905.

907,656. Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

c L5,. .a :5 z, 271" WITNESSES INVENTOR 74116. 1/ fa mz" N ITEE $1" An ta s IlUlJlTl-liillll? ll FFQlCE,

FIMQNK L. O. WADBWORIH, 0F MOBGANTO IN, WEST VIRGINIA, ABlSlGNGR 'lD PR'l-JSSED PR 1825 PLATE GLASS COMPANY, OF MORGANTOW'N, WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORJLTION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS Fon' 'rnss unnwrno'rnhn or snnnos or ones.

No. so'nsoe.

Bpeolflcstion 0'! Letters Patent. Brigham applloaflon filed Haptozeber 29, 1803, Serial No. $78,028. Divided and this application one. August L6. 1005 I Patented Dec. :22, 1905.

semi 150. 974,885.

To all whom it 11m concern:

Be it known t at I, FRANK L. 0. Webs won'rn, of Mor ontown, in the count Monongnlia end tote of West 'irginis, ave

' invented it new sud useful Apparatus for tho Manufacture of Sheets of Glass, of which'thu following is a full, clear, lmd exact description, reference bsi had to the accompany ing drawings forming part of this specification, in wluc Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of nut apparatus; Fig. 2 in a sectional View of rol having roughened surfaces which may be substituted for the smooth sheet-forming rolls of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plsnviow of the glass is distributed in volume confornmble to the .atturfi'intendod to be produced upon it by t ethbl'e. 8' is a. longitudinal sec-" tion of apparatus a bed to ILKUOB a sheet. of ratio; 0 section ongitu molly. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal. section of apparatus of modified construction in which the forcing of the shootsguinstthe table is .eflcctcd by a Fig. 10 is it sectional series of plungors. view illustrating a modification of the plan'- gcr shown in Fig. 9. If'ig. 11 is a sectional View illustrating another modification of the apparatus. I

.his a J )liontion is a division 01" niy-pntent No. 798, l4, granted September 5th, 1906.

In tho nmnufacturo of glass shoots it has been found to be diliicult and expensive to she s the face of the sheet by patterning the our one of the forming table on which tho glass is rolled, and where the pattern desired is deep or has sharp points or edges t 15 n most cases im ractiooblc to form it in this way because t e hot glass soon destroys the 60 utter'n on the table and thus spoils the table A further dillioulty experienced in such cusoo is that the heat of the gloss caseas torn marred. I have discovered that iese 'dilli'cultics n'm-y be overcome and figured tables used successfully in the manufacture of omnniontnl gloss or prism glass by pr0- riding means by which the glass is reduced .to shoot form bol'oroit is delivered upon the figured tables, and while it is still pleatand resting on the table forcing it against the name by rolling or by pressing so as to reproduce the pattern upon its surface.

The up smut-us mo be oi n nnv forms. some 0? w .ich I hn'zsi lustmted in tho draw n Fig. 1, 2 is the table and 3 is tho can hinge adapted to travel along the same. this onrringonre two sheet-forming'rolls i, to which the molten glass is delivered from n hopper 5, andlollowing the rolls 4 is a thin: roll 6. r

As the carriage is drawn along the tu'ois the roll 6' is rotated by traction, and ll v" means of intermediate em'in 7 rotut-imi 2n connuunicated to the to is l, by which the molten glass is rolled into sheet lorm, and the sheet deposited upon the surface of the table 2. As thc'sheot is deposited upon the table it is pressed closely-n inst the pottemed surface thereof by the ollou'in I rolls:-

0. Tlfe glass will have lost-s consi omhlo portion 0 a sheet between the rolls =1, 4. so that when it comes in contact with the table and is forced against the some by the following roll 6 it '1 not be sufficiently hot to stick to the table or to in'ure the surface thereof. 1 Bdll enabled in this way to import intricate pottarns to the glass, or to inn-he ,pi'isin glass ivilh slim 1y clfined and deep nnpilcs. This result so or as I am aware has not been or:- oongilished heretofore by methods oi rolling on gored tables.

The surfaces of the rolls 4, 4 may be plain us shown in Fig. 1, or may be roughened as in Fig; 2.

11s thickness of the shoot wh rl; is pro ducod b the rolls 4, 4 may be r u-iod and adjusts by adjusting screws 8, 8-wh1ch not its heat in the not of rolling it into thus be varied, if desired, during the rollin' of the sheet, and ashee't having portions 0 unequal thickness may thus be produced;

Where this is done .it is necessasy also to move the gearing of the rolls in or er to prevent disengagement thereof, and for this puro'se I jou.nal one of the gears 7' on a band ever 11' so that the operator with one hand on the wheel 9 may vary the distance of separation of the rolls, and with the other hand may move the lever 11 to contact.

In Fig. 4 I show a modified construction of the apparatus in which the rolls are stationary and the table 2 is caused to move beneath them, one of the rolls 4' being connected by the gear-wheel 12 with a rack on the table so that the motion of the table will rotate the rolls. following roll 6 may be driven by a sprocketchain 13 from a sprocket on the she. t of the ear-wheel 12. The roll 4 is preferably holow and revolves around a vacuum-chamber 14 constructed. as described in my Patent No. 798,642, dated September 5, 1905, the surface of the roll having perforations 15 so that as the glass sheet passes from the hopper along the roll opposite to the vacuumchamber it is held against the roll by airpressure and thus delivered evenly and flatl upon the table. The table also may be be low and provided with perforations extendinithrough the surface pattern, and may be pted to move over a stationary plunger 16 which is'hollow and communicates with the vacuum a paratus. The plunger 16 is beneath the is owin roll 6' so that portions of the table be and t roll are subjected to with a steel sheet 19 attached at one end to As the action of e vacuum and as the ass is forced by the roll against the tab the vacuum will hold it in'contact therewith, and by keeping the patterned surface of the r in contact with the table du'rmgthe se t1 of the glass, will insure perfect results an prevent the blur of the pattern whio might result if the ass were separated from the table before it (1 completely set.

In the apparatus shown in Fig. 5 I show the following roll 6, but the fornnng rolls are not shown. This foilo roll 18 mounted on a cerria 17 which is field positively against. the tab by a roller 18 hearing on the under side of the table. .19, 19 are pressure blocks connected in flexible series and faced the table at 20, thence passing under and -o dth rlloandoveraulle 21toe l arm a o p y the into'oontwt'withthesu oftlie weiqht or other yielding device 22 A: carnage is advancedin the direction of the arrow the roll presses the blocks successively against the glass" sheet and the pressure of keep the gears in The other roll 4 and the the blocks in the rear of the roll is maintained upgn the glass by a portion of the carriage w surlf zge 01f, 1thehblocks. d1

ta es ownin .5is cove on itudinallg' with prism ifi ed g r hoves, whiih are furt or shown in cross-section in Fig. 6. Where the attern on the surface of the table is irre u or in contour and is deeper in some arts t an in others, it is desirable'that the g a'ss should be distributed so that it shall be greater in volume over the deeper portions. I can accomplish this as shown in Fig. 7 by corrugating the surface of the forming roll or rolls 1 so as to produce a sheet of varying cross-section, the thieker'portions extending along the sheet directly over the deeper ortion ofthe pattern on the table. When t e sheet is then engaged by the following roll the thicker portions of the-glass will fill the deeper portions of the pattern and a uniform-and properly distributed sheet will be reduced.

The orming roll shown in Fig. 7. is adapted for a table in which the varying section extends transversely. Where the very! section of the table is longitudinal as in 8, one of the forming rolls 4' is provided with corrugations extendi along the length of the roll. Fig. 8 illus rates the manner in which the following roll 6 flattens the sheet and'forces the corrugations thereof into the deeper portions. of the pattern of the table.

In the a paratus shown in Fig. 9 the forming rolls 4 4' are mounted upon a traveling. carria e 23 and have between them a belt 24 form by flexibly connected blocks, one end of the series being fixed to the machine at 25' and the other end being connected to .a

weight or other yielding device for taking us face the slack. The blocks-of the belt are with a steel sheet 24' as in the apparatus shown in Fig. 6 so as to present a'flat surface to the glass. The carriage is'adapted to move in the direction of the arrow from one end of the table 2' as the other and as it travels a mass of plastic less is rolled into sheet form between the r0 4! and the surh- .iace of the belt, and is delivered by the belt upon the patterned surface of the table. As 1; e glass sheet-is delivered upon the table it against the-same by is e ed and ressed ngag re which may be successive! ac pl actuated y. air or 0 er fluid Each plunger 25 is made hollow on re fitted in the manner of a cylinder upon a hollow piston 26 having -.at"1ts upper d a valveconnection 27 with a flu: supp prpe- 28.

successively I the plunger! 25 are thereu n ,down

' itfirml aainst'the" his. when thafihe et has b iormed the plunger-s 25 maybe raised by cutting oil the ob projects over and in'contact with the the earl advances the o erator gpens' valves of the ports 27 and comes connection of the pipe 28 with the piston 26 and puttin the latter into communication with the ex aust, whereupon weights 29 will automatically raise th glass and leave the latter free to be removed. The ends of the plungers 25 are preferably provided withdetachable faces 30 so that they may be renewed when desired, and these faces may either be plain as shown in Fig.5) or may be rovided with a pattern as shown on two of t ievplungers in Fig. 10.

In Fig. 11 I'show a further modification in which 4* are the sh eet-forn1in rolls, mounted upon a stationary frame an 2"'is the-pattamed table ado ted to move thereunder in the direction of t 10 arrow. 6 is the following roll by which the glass sheet delivered from the forming rolls is pressed against the surface of the table. For the purpose of holding the sheet upon the table until it has become perfectly set, I prefer to employ a series of retaining blocks 31 which ma be stacked one upon another in an inclined 110 on a frame 32, the under surface of whic is elevated somewhat above the table and serves as a pressure foot. As the table advances carrying the sheet which has been delivered thereon and has been acted upon by the following roller, the blocks 31 are enga 'ed successively bv projections 33 on the ta 1e, and are. carried'under the pressure foot, each block as it passes-making room for the block next above which then dro 5 upon the surface of the glass. As the loc s ass euccessirel beyond the pressure foot t ey may .be lifts from the glass and placed again on Map! the pile. l he present application is a dlvlsion of the e plungers above the application of my Patent Number 798,644, dated September 5, 1905.

I' claini:

1.. In a paratus for making sheets, a are between which the sheet is formed, means for forming a sheet of glass of different surface contour from that of the table, means for conveying the sheet of glass from the formin mechanism to the table, and dispos ing it t 16'16011 and pressing means a'rranFed to press the sheet against the table to a ter the surface configuration of the sheet; substantially as described.

2. Apparatus for making figured lass sheets having in combination a roll bv w 'ch glass is made into sheet form, said roll having its surface sha ed to produce a sheet having inequalities o thickness, a table hav' a pattern conforming in position to the mequalitios of the sheet, and means for fore the sheet against the table; substantially as described.

3. A paratus for making figured lass sheets aving incombination a roll by v '01! glass is made into sheet form, said roll having grooves adapted to produce thicker portions on the sheet, a table upon which the sheet is deposited from the roll, said table having grooves adapted to register with such thicker portions, and means for forcing the sheet against the table; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK L. O. WADSWORTH. Witnesses:

G. M. VIERB, H. M. Conwm.

figured glass ured table consisting of two roll-. 

